


Justification

by bluemoonmaverick



Series: Supposition [16]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Bad Decisions, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1880961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoonmaverick/pseuds/bluemoonmaverick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is part of a series that, while sticking strictly to canon, explores the theory that Sam and Jack were engaged in a clandestine romance off-screen from Season 6 onward.</p>
<p>This tag takes place after the events of Affinity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Justification

The bar at O'Malley's was crowded, and it took a moment for Sam to locate Daniel and Teal'c. After looking around the place twice, she finally spotted them in the back corner booth. They both appeared less than excited to be there. It had been a rough day, but Pete had insisted on meeting for a drink, and her teammates had reluctantly agreed. Sam suspected they had done so for her sake, more than his.

Sam sighed. It really wasn't Pete's fault that he couldn't appreciate the full ramifications of what had happened today. The fact that the Trust had successfully coerced an Ancient translation out of Daniel could not be a good thing, and on top of everything else, Teal'c would probably have to move back to the base. It was no wonder they seemed somewhat morose.

She approached the two warily and sat down next to Teal'c, who inclined his head. Daniel gave her a weak smile from across the table. "We were starting to think you weren't going to make it," he said.

"It took us awhile to get here." She offered a small smile and shrugged. "Traffic."

In reality, she and Pete had been sitting in the parking lot for a good twenty minutes, with Sam trying to justify why she didn't want to break the news of their engagement to the team just yet. Pete was having none of it, and she couldn't really think up a good argument for waiting. Of course, the real reason for her hesitation was her reluctance to tell Jack, but that was something Pete would never understand.

Daniel looked out into the bar, and Sam could swear his face brightened a bit. "So where's Pete?"

"Um," she looked over toward the entrance and pointed in Pete's direction as she caught sight of him making his way to their table. "He's coming. He stopped by the men's room."

Sam studied her friend's face and noticed that whatever light had been there a moment ago was gone now. Before she had time to consider what that might mean, Pete walked up to the table, a veritable bundle of energy.

"Hey guys! Did she tell you?" He paused briefly for dramatic effect, as Daniel and Teal'c looked up at him with mild interest. "She said yes!"

Sam furrowed her brow. Despite their argument in the car, she thought they'd agreed to wait to make the announcement. "Pete...," she began, her voice a warning.

But Pete was all grins. "Sorry babe, I'm just so excited. Listen, the drinks are on me. Beers?" Before any of them had a chance to respond, Pete turned and walked toward the bar.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Well, um, congratulations."

"Thanks," she replied quietly.

"Have you informed O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Sam sighed and looked at her hands. "Not yet."

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged a look. Daniel leaned across the table. "Listen, Sam, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem...I don't know...happy?"

Her head snapped up. "I'm happy," she said defiantly. "I am. It's just a little overwhelming, you know..."

At that moment, Pete returned, juggling four beers. "Here you go," he said cheerily, completely oblivious to the mood at the table. "How 'bout a toast? " He raised his bottle in the air. "To my beautiful bride to be!"

Sam raised her bottle with the others, but as Pete sat down and began regaling Daniel and Teal'c with the story of his proposal and her acceptance, her mind wandered to thoughts of her commanding officer, and specifically to their conversation in her lab a few days ago.

She had shown Jack the engagement ring, in part because he'd asked, and in part because she'd wanted to gauge his reaction. He'd been shocked - that much was clear - but otherwise impossible to read. Frustrated with his carefully chosen words, she had decided to put it all on the line and pose the one question she had wanted to ask all along, the question about what might have been between the two of them.

" _What about you?"_ she'd asked. _"If things had been different..."_

He'd paused and looked up at her sharply. _"I wouldn't be here."_

She still didn't know what he meant by that. She'd spent the next three days trying to work it out, going so far as to ask Pete for more time to think about the proposal. In the end, she'd concluded that it simply didn't matter. They were no longer together, and they never would be. She had already decided to move on, so it was high time she did so.

There was no denying that her relationship with Jack had been the most passionate of her life. But it was like a muzzle flash – fiery and exciting but over in an instant. She knew that long term relationships, marriages, weren't made of such things, that they thrived on a slow burn. And that was what she had with Pete.

He was a nice man, and he adored her. If she wasn't awed by him, if her heart didn't leap every time he walked into the room, if his touch didn't instantly elicit an insatiable need, well, that was okay because no one really ever had that forever anyway. And even though she never had the same mind-blowing sex with Pete that she'd had with Jack, what he lacked in originality he made up for in attentiveness.

No, having a relationship with her commanding officer had been a bad idea from the beginning. She had momentarily lost her self control with Jack, but things were back to normal now. Choosing Pete as her long term partner was the logical decision. So today, she'd done what she was supposed to have done more than two weeks ago and finally said yes.

oOoOoOo

It was quiet at the SGC, with just a few teams off world and most of the other personnel already home for the evening. Jack sat at his desk sorting through the mound of paperwork that had been generated by yesterday's run-in with the Trust. He sighed. He was really not looking forward to dealing with the ramifications of all that had transpired, but he was especially dreading having to tell Teal'c that he was no longer going to be permitted to live off base.

So caught up in his thoughts was he, Jack didn't notice Daniel standing in his doorway until he spoke.

"Hey," he said quietly.

Jack looked up, somewhat surprised that anyone was still around. "Hey."

Daniel walked in, closing the door behind him. He pulled up a chair and sat. "You heard?" he asked, leaning back.

Jack looked back down at his desk and shuffled some papers. "About what?" He glanced up when Daniel didn't respond, only to see the archeologist looking at him with an exasperated expression.

Jack sighed. "It's her life, Daniel."

"It's a mistake, Jack. You know that as well as I do."

"Is it?" he asked with a furrowed brow. "Is it a mistake to want a normal life? She deserves to be happy."

"She was happy with you."

Silence descended between the two, and Jack looked back down at his desk and began studying his papers in earnest. After a long moment, Daniel continued, a slight edge to his voice now. "So that's it, then. You're just giving up?"

"There's nothing to give up, Daniel," he replied, harshly. "What we had...it's over. I'm happy for her."

"Is it over, Jack?" Daniel snapped, taking the military man by surprise. "Because for two people who keep professing to be happy, you both seem pretty miserable."

With that, Daniel got up and left, pulling the door to the office closed behind him. Jack stared after him for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to the conversation he'd had with Sam after she'd shown him the ring.

He'd been stunned to learn that she was considering marrying another man. But clearly she had moved on, and he was not about to interfere with her opportunity to have a life. So despite the fact that he felt his heart break into a million tiny pieces, he'd sucked it up and played nice throughout their conversation, at least until the very end.

She'd asked him then what might have happened if things had been different between the two of them. In the blink of an eye, a million responses flew through his mind, mostly involving a confession of his undying love for her. Ultimately, though, he'd decided that the answer was something she needed to figure out for herself, so he'd opted for the less obvious approach.

" _I wouldn't be here,"_ he'd told her. At least, that's what he'd said. But what he meant was that he would gladly give it all up – his rank, the SGC, hell, the whole damn military – for the chance to spend the rest of his life with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Like most shippers, I detest this episode, not only because Sam apparently lost her mind and agreed to marry Pete (behind an SUV, during an op, after he proposed on a park bench, while eating hot dogs, having dated her for approximately two seconds – but I digress), but because I could not make heads or tails out of the exchange between Jack and Sam when she showed him the ring. 
> 
> Many people think she was asking Jack what he would have done if he still had his family, but that is so cold and out of character for Sam, I refuse to believe it. So, I have employed my theory here, which fits better with the story anyway. Hope you agree.


End file.
